30/08/2020 Rye Uno

Hello, Italian readers. :)

Sonoma County Cherrywood Rye b.2017 (54.7%, OB, B#5, b#197): nose: wood, wood, wood, with mahogany, teak, acacia, cherry tree (no shit, Sherlock!), polished chestnut shells, and something almost brandy-like -- certainly drinks cabinet, at any rate. And then, it comes closer to orchard-tree wood, such as apple tree, then overripe pear and quince. To some extent, it seems to reach pine territory, in terms of fragrance and resinous character, yet I reckon it is merely sappy. Freshly-varnished redwood, that cherry/chestnut couple, holding hands, heckled by a mischievous tube of industrial (wood) glue. Said glue takes the front seat from sip #2, which would probably bother some. Mouth: pretty woody on the tongue too, it displays similar features: exotic and fruit-tree woods, as well as a dollop of glue. Wild cherries (prunus avium), mahogany, shiny chestnuts, teak oil, litres of sap, and a spoonful of bark to boot. The second sip desiccates the mouth a bit, and it is not unlike wolfing down ground fruit stones, punctuated by habañero chilli (the ABV finally catching up). Finish: the finish seems well balanced and more satisfying than yer regular American whiskey. More cherries (red and not very ripe), apricots (unripe too), fruit-tree sap, walnut flesh and teak oil. Caramelised butterscotch, overdone toffee, wood glue and another kind of oil too -- linseed, perhaps? Brazil-nut oil? This really leaves the mouth a bit dry, but also covered in fruity tones. Alongside the fruits are the various woods that bore them, now delicately smoked. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

21/08/2020 The masked tasting

Confinement forces us to observe social distancing and wear masks whenever we get up, yet we do manage to meet up for a shindig -- yay!

Because everyone will arrive at different times, and because, until the last moment, the event is touch and go, we (I) decide to not have a theme and to have little or no structure. Freestyle.

adc, JS, sonicvince, ruckus, STL, red71, Bishlouk, dom666, kruuk2, Gaija, Psycho and PSc all drop by for a time, and it is a pleasure to see people in the flesh, after six months of no social activity.

Newcomers STL and red71 struggle with some names a bit. They insist on calling ruckus Patrick, which amuses me immensely.

adc brings cheeses, JS brings a chocolate-and-whisky cake, ruckus brings a home-baked loaf of semolina bread, sonicvince brings bread sticks and an apple tart, red71 brings home-made tapenade and leftover prawn crackers, STL brings home-made sushi, Gaija brings houmous (hexual) and grissini we will never touch, PSc brings various crisps. Everyone brings whisky, which is all the better. We will not try everything, however.

Glen Grant 21yo b.1996 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, IF/AFF) (me): please see my notes from yesterday. It seems to have pouring honey on top of what I wrote down then, especially in the finish. Very elegant. 8/10

Littlemill 20yo 1991/2012 (50%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, Refill Hogshead, C#DL8481, 121b) (sonicvince): ruckus and I wonder if it is the same sonicvince poured last year, but he quickly puts it right: it is not. That one was 19yo. Nose: juicy pineapple, sink funk and Virginia tobacco, a pinch of dust (might it be ash?), milky cereals and daffodils. Mouth: lively, fruity, it has lots of pineapple, tinned peaches and a sprinkle of herbs, although I cannot decide if it is sage or dried parsley. Finish: long and fruity, it has that sink funk note that comes from tropical fruits gone off (mango, papaya, jack fruit), a gentle dryness and a herbal touch too. Excellent. 9/10

tOMoH: "ruckus, have you finished your Littlemill?"

sonicvince: "You don't hear him. He only eats and drinks. We'll call him Patrick McCain!"

(sonicvince refers to an ad for chips from the early 1990s -- link to the only version I can find)

red71's home-made tapenade

STL's sushi

Glendronach 26yo 1974/2001 (47.5%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, 198b) (ruckus): ruckus claims we have had this in the past and I did not think much of it. He adds it was ten or fifteen years ago. I cannot remember it at all, nor can I find evidence on the blog. Funny that the label mentions a 50% offering, yet it is below that. Nose: toilet deodorant -- in a good way! :-) Génépi, pine freshness, Gocce Pino, Suc des Vosges, mountain-flower honey, melon skins, pomelo peels, toothpaste and menthol. Mouth: similar waves of pine-y sweetness (Suc des Vosges) and minty toothpaste, this time accompanied by galia melon and prickle-pear honey. Finish: big, fruity, minty and a little drying, it retains the pine notes. Later on, it has pine nut, beech nut and green hazelnut too. Excellent. It seems that breathing in an open bottle for a decade did wonders on this one, we all agree. 8/10

Bishlouk notes that he has not tried many Old Malt Casks in his life. More ancient members of the group look at him in disbelief, since that was more or less the only independent bottler we drank, for a long time.

Dailuaine 28yo 1983/2012 (47.3%, Archives First Release, Hogshead, C#865, 265b) (Bishlouk): nose: walnut flesh, walnut stain, wood varnish. A few minutes in, we have mint and thuja bark too. It is rather splinter-y, in all honesty. Mouth: it is minty on the palate as well, yet fruitier than the nose, with pomelo peels and cedar buds. Finish: the wood is more clearly felt here, with toothpaste (both the minty taste and the mouthfeel it leaves behind) eucalyptus and a drop of chocolate. Good, but woody. 8/10

Cheese board #1 and #2

Cheese board #3

Gaija: "This Glendronach is amazing! I get raclette..."
tOMoH: "Is your cheese board too close to your mouth?"

Pulteney 11yo 2006/2017 (55.8%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 570b) (red71): nose: musky and animal, this one has fox skin written all over it. Shortly thereafter, another pine wave floods me (there are days like this), before leather comes up, perhaps with a note of sea air. Mouth: sea-sprayed wood. This is really rather woody, despite the young-ish age, unexpectedly so. It is also very salty. Finish: long, big, it has a hefty dose of sea salt, brine, a lick of leather and orange peels. What a pile of salt! 7/10

Bishlouk's home-made mango sorbet

Bishlouk's home-made raspberry sorbet

Clynelish 23yo 1995/2019 (54.8%, Signatory Vintage for The Nectar of the Daily Drams, Refill Sherry Butt, C#11244, L19/472) (Gaija): nose: cola++ that attacks the nostrils a bit. Wood varnish, splinters, carbonyl and liquorice -- not in an aniseed way; more like toasted aromas. Mouth: perhaps a little monolithic, with dry sherry that desiccates the mouth. It is hot, earthy and root-y (coffee grounds, liquorice root, turmeric root). The second sip is noticeably sweeter, especially after the raspberry sorbet (great combination!) Finish: still drying, full of Oloroso/root-y markers. I find it a bit hard-hitting and still monolithic, but it is fair. Whoever thought of bringing sorbet had a genius idea, in any case. 7/10

Ballechin 12yo 2004/2017 (53.6%, OB specially selected by and bottled for Vinothek Massen, Tasttoe and Dims Dram, Sherry Cask, C#349, 237b, L17/235) (STL): nose: braised bacon, grenadine, caramelising in the sauce pan, barbecue grille and a distant whiff of sulphur (matchsticks). "Meat! Leather! Metal!" says red71, not realising his belt is too close to the fireplace. "It sounds very BDSM," replies dom666. Mouth: sweet, in a honey-glazed-cured-bacon sort of way, with spices added on top. Further sips become sweeter and sweeter. Finish: long, voluptuous, it has honey-glazed pork roast starting to caramelise, and the rind of which is turning into that dark, tarry, crackling layer. 7/10

dom666: "There are six people in my office, and only one bloke."
tOMoH: "Who's that?"
dom666: "Me."
tOMoH: "Ah..."

The Balvenie 21yo PortWood (40%, OB, American Oak + Finished in Portuguese Oak Port Pipes, L3+P 4130 2402) (kruuk2): we all fear for this one. A 40% Speysider to follow a cask-strength Ballechin? The bottle is almost empty, so I cannot postpone trying it (again). Nose: lovely peachy nose, fruity and enticing. Tinned peaches and pineapple slices. Mouth: soft, velvety, choc-full of ripe-peach flesh. Finish: the peaches turn slightly rancio-y, at this point, which appeals to me very much. Short notes in unfavourable circumstances, but, if we all have varied preferences, we all agree it has not suffered much from being almost empty for all those years. Better than my memory of the 1989 vintage bottling from the same distillery. 8/10

Nikka Super (43%, OB imported by La Maison du Whisky) (dom666): dom666 explains he bought this blend out of curiosity, because it was cheap as chips. Nose: a little neutral alcohol and sugared water, perhaps barley water. Mouth: sugared water, barley water -- this has very little to say. Finish: more sugared/barley water with a touch of spices. Well, it is not disgusting. 5/10

Gaija: "Ah! There are bottles that are more interesting visually, then..."

Rosebank 12yo 1991/2004 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Bourbon Barrel, C#4710, 322b, b#49, 04/0638) (kruuk2): I recognise it as being one of two peaty Rosebanks, and the one floating Rosebank we had at a legendary tasting by Psycho's pool (before this blog existed). Another bottle that has been almost empty for ten years or more. Nose: pine branches, cedar needles, Suc des Vosges (again!) and a drop of vanilla custard. Mouth: fresh, custard-y in texture, it has more pine freshness and a citrus-y side, with pomelo and grapefruit pith. Finish: acidic and a little bitter, it displays tea leaves, grapefruit pith and pomelo segments. This is not at all as I remembered it, but excellent nonetheless. 8/10

sonicvince's breadsticks

ruckus's home-made semolina bread

dom666: "ruckus, you made this bread with a machine?"
adc: "No, with his hands."
ruckus: "With my feet."
Bishlouk: "As long as it's not with your dick..."
Gaija: "From a smell perspective, it's not that far..."
All: "???"

sonicvince's apple pie

Craigellachie 25yo 1994/2019 (56.1%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts Of Scotland, Hogshead, C#1063, 195b) (Gaija): nose: powerful AF, it takes a couple of sniffs to get over the high ABV. Once past it, however, it has spearmint and cut flowers. In the long run, it takes on a note of faint leather, then... pine cones (it's a pine-y day!) Mouth: liqueur, hazelnut polish and a hefty spiciness; ginger and lemongrass argue with spearmint and apple blossom, and then, out of nowhere, some milk chocolate appears. Finish: big and boisterous, yet also fresh and minty, it has apple mint, lemon mint and Madeira biscuits soaked in Bourbon. Cracking dram that would definitely require more time. 8/10

Longrow 14yo 2004/2018 (56.9%, Duty Paid Sample, Fresh Sherry Butt, Warehouse 15, Rotation 185, 1b) (Bishlouk): nose: the trademark farmyard, with tractor tyres, diesel, forgotten in a jerry-can for ages, paint, chipping off the tractor's mudguard, but also beef jerky and sweet biscuits -- apple biscuits, if that makes sense. Mouth: spicy and muscular, it has ploughed fields and scorched earth in similar measures, a dash of red wine, as well as something sweet -- probably dried apple slices, cane sugar and crushed biscuits. Finish: crumbly earth, dried fields, beaten down by sun rays. It retains a distinctly wine-y side too, dry and tannic... and a bit sickly, to be honest. Rancio and dusty staves, charred ribs or crispy bacon streaks. I like the nose. The rest feels less well integrated. 7/10

JS's chocolate-and-whisky cake.
I suggest it could replace the traditional cake from now on.
I meet resistance...

Blind pour from a hip flask: nose: a fruity/floral nose, with a peachy, marzipan-y mix to die for. In the far back, incandescent Virginia tobacco lingers. Mouth: minty paste, spread on baked peaches, velvety, mellow. It reminds me of Cotton-Candy grapes, soft and fluffy, dunked in green-hazelnut paste. Finish: short but fresh, minty and custard-y, not particularly complex, yet well efficient. After a few pathetic attempts, I narrow it down to the distillery. The exact expression comes as a surprise. Auchentoshan Select (40%, OB, b. early 2000) 7/10

Even this late, this humble dram holds itself together. All those years of drinking exclusive stuff, all those drams today, and a supermarket whisky that used to be 23 EUR a bottle still manages to seduce and surprise everyone.

Enough for today. Others have other whiskies, but it is late. Over and out.

20/08/2020 Apéritif

Glen Grant 21yo b.1996 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, IF/AFF): nose: tinned peaches and apricot in juice, the lightest furniture wax and barbour grease, yet both are light to the point of being unrecognisable. Crystallised satsuma segments or mixed peel. It becomes fruitier and fruitier, with candied apricot, satsuma, kumquat, a spoonful of chestnut purée and fig jam. Later on, it takes on fresh pine notes, whilst remaining rather sweet; Suc des Vosges, pine-scented air freshener, bergamot foliage and polished pine cones. Mouth: soft and sweet, it has the jams and fruits from the nose; figs, satsumas, chestnut purée, but also membrillo (quince cheese) and a dash of shoe polish. The whole is very elegantly put together, with a mere smidgen of ground white pepper. The sweetness is extremely enticing, just enough to make it an all-night drinker, without ever becoming vulgar or sickly. In the long run, the pine freshener does show up on the palate too (flowering pine buds, needles and resin), but it is certainly a sweet and citrus-y journey, all in all. Finish: long enough, it harks back to the fruity jams of the nose, though it has a more distinct bitterness, this time: more pronounced shoe polish, probably. Hints of burnt wood, polished walnut, and mandarin peels, macerating in some kind of liqueur. In the finish too, the dram displays a wonderful, if restrained, sweetness that makes this something pleasant to sip forever. 8/10

17/08/2020 A couple of 'more peaters

The temperature is more bearable, at last. I will take advantage to taste more wintry things.

Bowmore 10yo b.2012 (55.1%, OB Tempest, B#IV, First Fill Bourbon Casks, 11000b, L122384): nose: marvellous pebbles and rocky shores, licked by salty, frothy surf, then the trademark citrus, with acidic lemon juice, char-grilled grapefruit segments, sea spray -- oh! It is a maritime affair alright. It has drying fishing nets, smoked oysters, smoked halibuts fillets, drying peat bricks and crab shells (smoked and fresh), brine, anchovies and capers, as well as old copper coins (or not that old, in fact) and a glass of lemonade next to a log fire. Ten or fifteen minutes in, a dryer touch shows up: watercolour or crayon shavings, peat smoke, then stagnant water. Mouth: it feels surprisingly unctuous, chewy, with some wax (I am talking about the texture only), though that is soon eclipsed by a massive wave of lemon-y sea produce: brine, salt, anchovies, smoked salmon and chilli-flake-coated, smoked mackerel. The smoked salmon is in a rice dish (kedgeree?) and the flesh is turning into silky flakes. The acidity of the citrus grows and grows in intensity, the lemon joined by grapefruit, yet also softer satsuma and even pomelo. Sharp lemon and grapefruit soon come back, though. Finish: big, assertive, it has a similar combination of citrus and sea notes, balanced to perfection. At first, it is lemon-ed-up oysters, Ritter Citro squeezers, hinting at a certain metallic touch, then wood ashes, smoked mussels, and a pinch of chilli powder. The second sip shows a softer side, with mandarin juice, char-grilled peaches, tinned lychees, maybe a gently lichen-y dryness too, that turns borderline scorched earth-like, for a minute. In the long run (four sips, thirty minutes), the citrus takes on a tropical facet, augmented with drops of passion-fruit juice and a dash of rum to accompany anchovies and rollmops. Refreshing and warming at the same time, which is quite an achievement! Future classic, this. The naysayers on t'Interwebbz and elsewhere are simply missing out. 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, sonicvince)

Ardmore 21yo 1998/2019 (51.5%, Thompson Bros., Refill Hogshead, 256b): nose: pollen and vegetal peat, not far from mud, then crushed crayons, watercolour and discreet pencil eraser. Shortly thereafter, berries appear, to spice things up a bit: blueberries, myrtles and goji berries. Later on, it starts smelling of wet cardboard, then caramel in the making -- fruity caramel. The eraser and crayons are never too far away, mind. It is one of those noses that keep morphing; from fruit to mud, from farm to rum, from rum to cardboard, to berries, to silt and back again. Entertaining. Mouth: the berries are more immediate on the palate, this time showing off blackberries, on top of the blueberries and myrtles; blackberries, cranberries, even acidic blackcurrants. This is rather acidic, truth be told, with the sort of acidity one would get out of unripe fruits. A spoonful of mud is still present, sphagnum and decaying vegetation of all kinds; mossy peat, in other words. The second sip is still fruity, but it is also more farm-y, with mud cakes and peat-covered tools, damp in the shed. Chilli-water-soaked berries. Finish: very long and vegetal, it has a similar mix of mossy, muddy peat, complete with sphagnum and sponge-y lichen, as well as berries (blueberry, myrtle, blackberry) and greengages as a new addition. Flash-frozen white-peach slices show up as well, rose hip and all types of petals, fallen in mud. On a bitterer note, goji berries make a come-back too, and leave the mouth slightly dry like a chewy rum and its lichen-on-sugary-stave profile. Most pleasant. A lick of hard rubber, and, from the fourth sip on, a gentle kick of milk chocolate complete the picture. To the end, this one remains a berry-laden, muddy-and-vegetal dram that will please some to no end -- though I know at least one person who does not care for it, oddly enough. Reading back my notes from Hogmanay, I realise how different it seemed in Dornoch. Different, yet just as good. Air will probably change it quite a bit. 8/10

07/08/2020 A trek to the North Port

In this nth heatwave, the North Pole feels like a good place to be (of course, it is not; do not go think I am encouraging you to go spoil the place). The closest in the whisky world is, of course, North Port. Will it bring the needed freshness?

North Port-Brechin d.1970 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice, b. ca 1990): no bottling code, so it is likely the 1990 bottling, rather than the 1991. Nose: a wooden crate of orchard apples, fermenting away in a cellar and becoming quite pungent. Apple mash, before it is turned into cider, then a distinct wave of cooked vegetables (mashed potatoes, swedes, boiled sprouts), just a drop of some kind of vinegar, and pickled onions. Soon thereafter, it is bagged bread (Hovis style) turning mouldy (still soft, though), nail-varnish remover, and, finally, a whiff of woody tones -- wormwood, old, crumbling staves, decomposing bark, incense ash and vinegar-stained soil. The cider apples come back on top, yet they are no longer a solo act. Time brings out sulphur-y oranges, closer to matchbox striker than rotten egg. And what is this? Heather? You bet! Mouth: soft, mellow in texture, it is propelled by chopped fresh green pepper that hits the sides of the tongue like razor blades. Apples may be there, yet it is spicier than the nose suggested, which overshadows the fruit; lemongrass, galangal powder, asa foetida and mace all swirl and giggle on the palate, and bring musty cardboard and wormwood-crippled wooden chairs to the fore. Cedar-wood splinters, peppermint and growing cinnamon. Finish: pretty big, it has the recurrent apples (this time in a quite a state of decay), the crumbly wood, tree bark, soaked cork, damp soil, peppermint -- maybe closer to Fisherman's Friend, now. In fact, the finish sees its fair share of toasted flavours, such as aniseed and roasted malt, perhaps even a percolator, or a wet coffee filter, full of damp coffee grounds. Cinnamon ends up appearing on the finish too, refreshing and lively. North Port does not benefit from a great reputation, in general. This here dram is a bit particular, I suppose, but I would certainly not call it bad. 7/10

North Port 23yo 1971/1995 (54.7%, OB Rare Malts Selection): nose; a punch in the face, this, with wormwood-eaten furniture and apple-cider vinegar aplenty. Further than that, it is hard to tell, as the nose is pretty closed. Perhaps mulch? Gingery yoghurt? Let us give it a little time... Vinegar-stained earth it is, for this one too, verdigris, spilled vinegar, as well as more herbaceous notes of coumarin, sage and hay bales. Later on, it is jute bags full of earth and straw, too dry to be called farm-y. Brine, salty and sort of desiccating. With water, it does become farmier, reeking of ploughed fields and rocky earth, yet also line-drying laundry. Mouth: flint, gravel, pebbles, and that is before mentioning the terrifying strength! Who knew 54.7% could be so merciless? It makes for an austere and intimidating dram, that is for sure, like Fisherman's Friends turned to eleven. All the same, and behind that austerity, I detect hints of apple and lichen on very old wood. The second sip tries to be juicy, with apple juice and pine sap, but it is quickly submerged by a dry-herb wave of sage, rosemary and hay barns, with just a pinch of crushed, dry mint. It is still potent, too! Water tames it somewhat, makes it fresh, gives it apple-mint lozenges, pine sap, apple drops and even raspberries to augment what is now merely a mild, earthy austerity. Finish: unexpectedly, the finish seems mild-mannered, compared to the neat mouth. It is not an easy, custard-y ride, obviously, yet it also does not tear your lower jaw off in a fit of rage. Verdigris, lichen on rock, gravel, apple pips, cider vinegar are the most identifiable characteristics. The second sip brings forth some mint and pine sap, yet if that forms a sort of gel, it is far from juicy, and is instead rather drying and unforgiving. Water does not change the finish much; perhaps more earth? Sightly more toasted? This is definitely not an easy dram, and it does benefit from water. For pugnacity, it deserves... 8/10

06/08/2020 One Lowlander to tame the heat

Yup, heat is on again. :-(

Bladnoch 30yo 1989/2019 (40.8%, Cadenhead Sherry Cask, Sherry Hogshead Finish, 144b): nose: ooft! This is nothing like all those early-1990s honeysuckle-and-rosehip juices. No! This one is all encaustic, furniture wax and polished dashboards, to start with, though it soon turns into brandy of the fruity kind, with plump grapes, bursting with juice. Cognac-y to the extreme. Pressed figs, pressed apricots, an almost minty freshness of pine sap, then hazelnut oil and raspberry vinegar. This will carry some wood on the tongue, there is no doubt about it, yet the nose is much fresher than what one could expect of a whisky that has spent thirty years in oak -- some of that in a sherry cask, to boot. Chlorophyll chewing gum, toothpaste, sap and much Cognac. Later on, weathered leather rocks up, discreet and distinguished. Mouth: ZOMG, it is just as fresh as the nose, at first! Srsly. who swapped my sample for Cognac? Dry grapes (Sauvignon blanc?), pine sap, minty gel, pomegranate seeds and fresh figs.Quickly, fresh ginger of the grated variety appears, yet it is not fierce; it merely reinforces the freshness of the whole. A touch of preserved kumquat, candied pomelo slices, juicy figs, slightly-acidic plums, blueberries and raspberry jam. Finish: a winning combination of minty gel, candied citrus (pomelo, kumquat and sweetened lime are my guess), pomegranate seeds and fruity brandy. At this point, even strawberries join the grapes, figs and blueberries, alongside mirabelle plums and candied kumquat. The ginger is now preserved, Japanese-restaurant style, and the pine sap has adopted a remarkable discretion, not a cloak of invisibility. Very fresh, dangerously easy to drink, this is a perfect all-weather whisky. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, SW)